Utensil carrying closure member

ABSTRACT

A closure member carrying two sterile utensil portions for use with a circular cross section receptacle, said utensil portions being characterized by socket members mounted on the end thereof to allow the assembly of a rigid elongated utensil. Said utensil portions further providing rigidity to the receptacle and improving the sealing of the closure member on the receptacle.

United States Patent Yetty Newman 910 Park Ave., New York, N.Y. 10021 [21 1 Appl. No. 43,007

[22] Filed June 3, 1970 [45] Patented Nov. 30, 1971 [72] Inventor [54] UTENSIL CARRYING CLOSURE MEMBER 2,034,067 3/1936 Stone 229/1.5 C

3,371,847 3/1968 Stengle,.1r 229/43 3,381,876 5/1968 Biggins 229/1 .5 C FOREIGN PATENTS 124,046 2/1928 Switzerland 206/4 Primary Examiner- Raphael H. Schwartz Attorney-John F. Booth ABSTRACT: A closure member carrying two sterile utensil portions for use with a circular cross section receptacle, said utensil portions being characterized by socket members mounted on the end thereof to allow the assembly of a rigid elongated utensil. Said utensil portions further providing rigidity to the receptacle and improving the sealing of the closure member on the receptacle.

I UTENSIL CARRYING CLOSURE MEMBER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART In the manufacture and use of flexible receptacles, especially those produced for use in the sale of consumable foods, it has been the general practice to use disposable closure members which are easy and inexpensive to manufacture. Although these closure members provide a sufficient seal in most cases, it has been found that disposable receptacles formed from a material such as paper or plastic do not produce a receptacle having substantial lateral strength and because of this weakness, these receptacles can be collapsed during filling, shipping, or use, producing an unnecessary waste of the food contained therein.

It has even been proposed to manufacture these closure members with a utensil mounted in a sealed cavity formed therein for use in consuming the food contained in the receptacle, but it has also been noted that utensils which are mounted in a small receptacle suffer from the disadvantage of being of insufficient length and are awkward to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The general purpose of this invention is to provide a closure member for use with a disposable receptacle which provides adequate sealing, adds to the rigidity of the receptacle and carries a utensil whose length is not limited to the diameter of the receptacle. To attain this, the present invention contemplates the use of a unique closure member carrying a two piece utensil which can be removed from the closure member and assembled in elongated form for use in consuming food contained in the receptacle. These two utensil pieces are made of relatively flexible material and are mounted in the closure member at right angles to each other so that they contact the sides of the closure member and supply a resilient force thereon.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is the provision of a closure member which, when used with a disposable receptacle, adds sufficient lateral rigidity to inhibit collapsing thereof.

Another object is to provide a closure member which sufficiently seals on the open end of a receptacle.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a closure member which clamps onto the receptacle to prevent accidental removal therefrom.

Still another object is to provide a closure member which carries a two piece utensil which can be assembled and used to consume the food contained in the receptacle.

Yet another object is to provide a closure member which has a sterile compartment for carrying a utensil member.

A still further object is to provide a closure member which is inexpensive to manufacture and attractive in appearance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. I is a side elevation showing the closure member of the present invention attached to a receptacle;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the closure member of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a section view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section view taken on line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the utensil of the present invention in the assembled condition;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown in FIG. I, which illustrates a preferred embodiment, a receptacle II with a closure member 12 attached thereto. This receptacle II is shown as being of a circular cross section with sidewall of conical shape, but it is contemplated that receptacles with other types of shapes could be used. This receptacle can be constructed from any disposable material such as paper or plastic without affecting the advantages of the present invention.

The closure member 12 is shown in detail in FIG. 2 as carrying a two piece utensil having a knife portion 14 and a spoon portion 16 made from a relatively flexible material such as plastic. The portions 14 and 16 could be other types of utensils and are shown here for illustrative purposes only.

In FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 the details of these utensil portions are shown. One end of the knife utensil portion I4 is generally tapered to form a male socket member 18 and a raised hemispherical area 20 is provided on the male socket member 18. The utensil I6 is provided with a female socket member 22 of a size and shape to allow the insertion therein of the male socket portion 18 and a concave area 24 which is positioned to receive the raised hemispherical area 20 therein. It is the engagement of these areas 20 and 24 which provides a positive lock similar to a ball-detent, to hold the utensil portion l4 and 16 together in an assembled condition during use, as shown in FIG. 5.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 6, it can be seen that the utensil portions 14 and 16 are removably mounted on the closure member 12 in a central concave area 26. This concave area is formed by a circular bottom wall 28 and an inner flange 30. This inner flange 30 is of a size to contact in sealing engagement the interior of the open end of the receptacle II. An annular shoulder 32 can be provided on the inner flange 30 to hold the utensil portions 14 and 16 in the concave area 26. It can also be seen that the utensil portions 14 and 16 are of such a length that they engage the inner flange 30 and provide a resilient force to prevent collapsing of the closure member.

An outer flange 34 is positioned around the inner flange 30 and is connected there with by a curved portion 36. An annular space 38 is formed between the inner and outer flanges, and is ofsuch a size to clamp onto the open end of the receptacle 11 to hold the closure member 12 thereon. It can also be seen that when the closure member 12 is clamped onto the receptacle II, the outer flange 34 is in sealing engagement with the outside thereof.

A covering of sealing material 40 can be provided across the central concave area 26 to seal the utensil portions 14 and 16 mounted therein. This material 40 can be easily removed to provide access to the utensil and can be made of transparent material.

From the foregoing description it can be seen that the closure member of the present invention provides a convenient utensil mounted therein which may be extended to a convenient length, and improves the rigidity and sealing of the receptacle when attached thereto due to the resilient force exerted on the closure member by the utensil portions.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and that numerous modifications or alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by my Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a device for use in sealing the open end of a receptacle with a circular bottom and a sidewall having a ring shaped cross section, comprising,

a plastic closure member with a uniform wall thickness having a circular central portion and means extending perpendicularly from the circumference of said central portion for clamping and sealing said open end of said receptacle, said clamping and sealing means, comprising, an inner and outer cylindrical flange, said inner flange having one end extending from the circumference of said central portion, said outer flange being disposed around said inner flange, said inner and outer flange being joined by a curved portion, said inner flange being of a size to fit in snug sealing engagement with the inside of said open end of said receptacle, said outer flange being of a size to fit in snug sealing engagement with the outside of said open end of said receptacle, said inner and outer flange resiliently clamping said open end for resisting removal of said closure member from said receptacle, said inner flange and said central portion-forming a concave area,

removable seal means of flexible material covering said concave area and sealed on said curved portion, and

elongated utensil means removably mounted within said concave area,

the improvement which comprises, said elongated utensil means comprising, first and second utensil members of flexible material removably mounted in said concave area at right angles with respect to each other, each utensil member being of such a length as to resiliently engage said inner flange and be removably retained in said concave area for adding rigidity to said receptacle when said closure is mounted thereon and for improving the sealing contact of said inner flange with the inside of said open end of said receptacle, said first and second removable utensil members having corresponding male and female socket means mounted thereon for attaching said first and second utensil members together, at least one of said first and second utensil members being curved for preventing interference between said first and second utensil means when said utensil means are mounted at right. angles with respect to each other in said concave area.

2. A sealing device as defined in claim 1, wherein, said inner flange has a radial shoulder for removably retaining said first and second utensil means in said concave area.

3. A sealing device as defined in claim I, wherein, said first utensil member has a knife blade formed at one end and one of said socket means formed at the other end thereof.

4. A sealing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein, said one socket means is a male socket.

5. A sealing device as defined in claim 1, wherein, said second utensil member has a spoon shaped portion formed at one end and the other of said socket means formed at the other end thereof.

. 6. A sealing device as claimed in claim 5, wherein, said other socket means is a female socket.

7. In a device for use in sealing the open end of a receptacle with a bottom and a sidewall, comprising, 7

a plastic closure member with a uniform wall thickness having a central portion and means extending perpendicu larly from the edge of said central portion for clamping and sealing said open end of said receptacle, said clamping and sealing means, comprising, an inner and outer flange, said inner flange having one end extending from the edge of said central portion, said outer flange being disposed around said inner flange, said inner and outer flange being joined by a curved portion, said inner flange being of a size to fit in snug sealing engagement with the inside of said open end of said receptacle, said outer flange being of a size to fit in snug sealing engagement with the outside of said open end of said receptacle, said inner and outer flange resiliently clamping said open end for resisting removal of said closure member from said receptacle, said inner flange and said central portion forming a concave area,

removable seal means of flexible material covering said concave area and sealed on said curved portion, and

elongated utensil means removably mounted within said concave area,

the improvement which comprises, said elongated utensil means comprising, first and second utensil members of flexible material removably mounted in said concave area at right angles with respect to each other, each utensil member being of such a length as to resiliently engage said inner flange and be removably retained in said concave area for adding rigidity to said receptacle when said closure is mounted thereon and for improving the sealing contact of said inner flange with the inside of said open end of said receptacle, said first and second removable utensil members having corresponding male and female socket means mounted thereon for attaching said first and second utensil members together, at least one of said first and second utensil members being curved for preventing interference between said first and second utensil means when said utensil means are mounted at right angles with respect to each other in said concave area.

8. A sealing device as defined in claim 7 wherein said receptacle has a elliptical bottom and cross section.

9. A sealing device as defined in claim 7 wherein said receptacle has a polygonal base and cross section.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Invent0r(S) Yettv Newman and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2, line 13, column 3, line 2, and column 4, line 7 "sidewall", each occurrence, should read side wall Signed and sealed this 24th day of October 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents w PO-1050 (10-69) USCOMM-DC 60378-P69 Q U S GOVERNMENY PR NTING OFFICE 195B 111 

1. In a device for use in sealing the open end of a receptacle with a circular bottom and a sidewall having a ring shaped cross section, comprising, a plastic closure member with a uniform wall thickness having a circular central portion and means extending perpendicularly from the circumference of said central portion for clamping and sealing said open end of said receptacle, said clamping and sealing means, comprising, an inner and outer cylindrical flange, said inner flange having one end extending from the circumference of said central portion, said outer flange being disposed around said inner flange, said inner and outer flange being joined by a curved portion, said inner flange being of a size to fit in snug sealing engagement with the inside of said open end of said receptacle, said outer flange being of a size to fit in snug sealing engagement with the outside of said open end of said receptacle, said inner and outer flange resiliently clamping said open end for resisting removal of said closure member from said receptacle, said inner flange and said central portion forming a concave area, removable seal means of flexible material covering said concave area and sealed on said curved portion, and elongated utensil means removably mounted within said concave area, the improvement which comprises, said elongated utensil means comprising, first and second utensil members of flexible material removably mounted in said concave area at right angles with respect to each other, each utensil member being of such a length as to resiliently engage said inner flange and be removably retained in said concave area for adding rigidity to said receptacle when said closure is mounted thereon and for improving the sealing contact of said inner flange with the inside of said open end of said receptacle, said first and second removable utensil members having corresponding male and female socket means mounted thereon for attaching said first and second utensil members together, at least one of said first and second utensil members being curved for preventing interference between said first and second utensil means when said utensil means are mounted at right angles with respect to each other in said concave area.
 2. A sealing device as defined in claim 1, wherein, said inner flange has a radial shoulder for removably retaining said first and second utensil means in said concave area.
 3. A sealing device as defined in claim 1, wherein, said first utensil member has a knife blade formed at one end and one of said socket means formed at the other end thereof.
 4. A sealing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein, said one socket means is a male socket.
 5. A sealing device as defined in claim 1, wherein, said second utensil member has a spoon shaped portion formed at one end and the other of said socket means formed at the other end thereof.
 6. A sealing device as claimed in claim 5, wherein, said other socket means is a female socket.
 7. In a device for use in sealing the open end of a receptacle with a bottom and a sidewall, comprising, a plastic closure member with a uniform wall thickness having a central portion and means extending perpendicularly from the edge of said central portion for clamping and sealing said open end of said receptacle, said clamping and sealing means, comprising, an inner and outer flange, said inner flange having one end extending from the edge of said central portion, said outer flange being disposed around said inner flange, said inner and outer flange being joined by a curved portion, said inner flange being of a size to Fit in snug sealing engagement with the inside of said open end of said receptacle, said outer flange being of a size to fit in snug sealing engagement with the outside of said open end of said receptacle, said inner and outer flange resiliently clamping said open end for resisting removal of said closure member from said receptacle, said inner flange and said central portion forming a concave area, removable seal means of flexible material covering said concave area and sealed on said curved portion, and elongated utensil means removably mounted within said concave area, the improvement which comprises, said elongated utensil means comprising, first and second utensil members of flexible material removably mounted in said concave area at right angles with respect to each other, each utensil member being of such a length as to resiliently engage said inner flange and be removably retained in said concave area for adding rigidity to said receptacle when said closure is mounted thereon and for improving the sealing contact of said inner flange with the inside of said open end of said receptacle, said first and second removable utensil members having corresponding male and female socket means mounted thereon for attaching said first and second utensil members together, at least one of said first and second utensil members being curved for preventing interference between said first and second utensil means when said utensil means are mounted at right angles with respect to each other in said concave area.
 8. A sealing device as defined in claim 7 wherein said receptacle has a elliptical bottom and cross section.
 9. A sealing device as defined in claim 7 wherein said receptacle has a polygonal base and cross section. 